Egoli; City of Gold

Johannesburg; more often called Joburg or Jozi by locals. This city is my home. 

I have lived in South Africa my entire life, even though both my parents are Polish. People ask me what it's like living in a place with such a bad reputation. In all honesty, Joburg isn't my most favourite South African city but it's home and always will be.

In Zulu, Egoli means place of gold as Johannesburg was built on the gold rush in the 1880s. 

Aerial view of the city

 It's the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake or coastline. When I travelled in Europe, I was genuinely surprised by how many cities are, like Budapest, Prague etc. I just wasn't expecting it because Joburg sits on a plateau.

The city is believed to be South Africa's capital but it is not. The country has, in fact, three capital cities but Joburg is not one of them. Cape Town, our mother city, is one of them though, along with Pretoria and Bloemfontein.

There are a lot of fun activities to do in the city, from zoos to amusement parks, clubbing to gambling, city tours to bungee jumping. 

Sitting in traffic

A view of the highway

I am often asked about the crime that goes on in Jozi. I can't lie and say it's not as bad as it seems. Too many of my friends have had bad experiences, but I will tell you that it's something you get used to. We live very differently to the rest of the world. We are always aware of our surroundings; closed car windows, extra security around our homes; it's something you just live with. And life goes on as normal.

Sunset on my way home

With all that being said, being home for the past two months I have enjoyed living in Joburg. It's not a beautiful city but life here is intense. You are more aware of your race (whether you admit to it or not), taxis rule the roads, football comes second to rugby, you hear five different native languages at any given time, and surprisingly, people are genuinely friendly.

It doesn't matter if you're black, white, purple or blue. Rule of thumb is that South Africans are cool people. We are friendly and laid back. Our history and current political situation is unique and whether we're supporting the ANC or the DA, we all take life in Africa with a pinch of salt... and patience :)

Some people are less tolerant than others but not everyone feels the same. Is that not true for anywhere in the world? I'm a white South African and I proudly have black friends. 

You can't live in Africa and expect it to be the same as Europe or America. It's not. Time flows at a different pace. Life is sometimes backwards. Strife is common. And yet, even with all that nonsense, most people who come here fall in love with our land. 

An early morning in the city

Ending off with my favourite Nelson Mandela quote:

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” 

- Long Walk to Freedom